Signaling system for alternating currents.



PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

y L.. H. THULLBN. SIGNALING SYSTEM FOR ALTERNATING OURRENTS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR-2, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I NVENTOR wnusssgs No. 858,120. PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

L. H. THULLEN.

SIGNALING SYSTEM FOR A'LTBRNATING OURRENTS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR.2. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

N F I F 1 H. 5 N N r -15 g G 1 I J is Q: 3% Q 10 N Q5! I .N I I N Je' w l 1 IUD wnnssses I INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LoUIS n. THULLEN, or EDGEWOOD PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNoRTo THE UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SwIsSvALE, PENNSYL- VANIA, ACORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

SIGNALING SYSTEM FOR ALTERNATING CU RRENTS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1907; 1

Application filed March 2,1906. Serial No. 303.773.

T aZZ whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS H. THU LEN, of

Edgewood Park, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Signaling System for Alternating Currents, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the preferred form of my invention; Figs. 2 and 3- are cross-sections showing different forms of bond which I may employ;

and Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic ,plan 7 views showing other forms of ,the invention of my broader claims.

Myzinvention relatesito block signaling on railroads where alternating current is employed to actuate the signals.

The object of the invention is to provide case will be given a free path according to my invention, while the passage of the signal-opcrating current will be impeded.

In the drawings, referring to the form of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, A, B and C represent the suc. cessive blocks of an electric railway.

2 is a generator for. furnishin propulsion,

current for the trains or cars, an which may be of the alternating or direct current character. i

3-is an alternating current generator which is employed to furnish current tothe actuating devices for the signals of the successive,

blocks.

4 is a transformer which reduces the highv potential alternating current traveling the lines 5 and 6, the current being taken to the rails through the wires 7 and S.

9 represents the signal governing the traffic, and 10 is arelay controlled by the alter nating current of the track circuit, and which in turn controls the signal 9.v I

The car is diagrammatically illustrated by,

the pair of wheels 11, 12 illustrating the trolley connection to the trolley wire or third rail 13.

The system above described is old and well-known. The feature of my invention lies in the bond employed at opposite ends of the successive blocks. Each bond consists of two metals, one of which is magnetic, and 1 the other non-magnetic.

In the form of Fig. 2, 14 is a copper core around which are placed laminated irondisks 15. In the form of Fig. 3 I show a bond having a copper core 16 which is surrounded by a series of iron or .steel .wires 17 which extendlongitudinally.

It will be understood that the magnetic.

and nonmagnetic portions of the bond may be combined in many different ways; for eX-- ample, the iron may constitute the core with.

the copper on the'outside. or they-may be arranged Side by side without departing from the spirit of my invention, since I consider myself; the first to use a bond which is built up from ma 'netic and non-magnetic matethrough the copperor non-magneticv metal, while at the same time giving a high impedance to the alternating current due tofthe- .80 A. close proximity. ofgthe. magnetic;material.-'

By laminating the magnetic" portion vof the If the magnetic bond the propulsion ,currentispreventedi from reducing the impedance to the alter nat-' ing block signal current.

material were notlaminated, the propulsion current would act to reduce theinipedance of the bond. As before stated, thepropulsioncurrent may be either direct or alternating,

and in either case will be givenv a-free path In order to still further increase the iii1pe dance of the bond, I preferably increase its length over what it would be if-arranged at right angles tothe rails. This increase in lengthmay be carried outby. extending the bond through any irregular path between the rails.

The bonds areconnected at their intermediate, parts by the connecting wires 18, through which the propulsion current flows from one section to the next.

' In order to still-furtherincrease the im- I edance'of the bond I may extend it in Such orm thatthe current through a leg close to a rail flowsin the samedirection as through such adjacent rail..

75 1' rial arranged to give a low ohmic resistance. to the propulsion CllI'IGIlhWlllChWOlllCl travel 4 In Figs. 4 and 5, I show a peculiar placing of the bond for this purpose. In Fig. 4 the current for the block signal system enters from the transformer 19 at the intermediate or central parts of the rails of each block,

through the wires 20 and 21. The bonds 22 are arranged in the form of closed loops with the legs crossing each other and connected to the rails, one rail being shown as continuous While the other is in sections. The legs of the loops are closely adjacent to the rails, and the current through any one leg parallel to a rail flows in the same direction as the current through the adjacent rail. On account of these currents flowing in the same direction, the impedance through the bond is increased.

In Fig- 5 I show the bonds23 and 24 arranged in two different forms at the opposite ends of the same block. In this form the current enters the end of the block through the transformer 25 and consequently the bond 23 is in the form of a parallelogram or loop open at one end, while at the other end of the block the bond 24 is of closed parallelogram form with one.leg passing beneath the other. The arrows on the rails 26 and'27 show the alternating current for the block signal as flowing in opposite directions at the same instant; and owing to the peculiar arrangement of the bonds the current will flow through any leg parallel and adjacent to one of the rails in the same direction as through such rail. By this peculiar placing of the bond as a Whole relative to the rails, I increase the impedance to the alternating current through the bonds. While the bonds in this form, as in the first form, may be made of the combined magnetic and non-magnetic material, they may also be made of magnetic material or non-magnetic material alone when used in this form; For example, they may be formed of iron or steel rails, or bars, as magnetic material has more impedance to alternating current than non-magnetic material, While with the copper bars the peculiar placing increases the impedance to the alternating current while giving low ohmic resistance to the propulsion current. In this form of Figs. 4 and 5, it Will be noted that one rail is continuous while the other is' broken into block. sections; while in the first form both rails are subdivided. Inthis form, there fore, the current flows through the continuous rail from block to block. These details, however, are unimportant so far as regards my invention.

'. The advantages of my invention result from increasing the impedance to the alternating signal current between the blocks, while still giving low resistance to the passage of the propulsion current, in a simple and effective way. \Vhere the loop arrangement of the second form is employed to increase the impedance of the alternating sig-. nal current, t e conductor may be of any decurrent flowing sired character; and on the other hand, where the improved bond of combined magnetic and non-magnetic materials is employed, it may be used either with or without giving it the shape and placing of the second form.

Many variations may be made in the form and arrangement of the bond, its shape and placing; the propulsion current may be either direct or alternating, and the manner and place of feeding in the block-actuating current may be varied. As to the form, in which the impedance is increased by the lacing of the bond, the bond may-have one limb extending parallel to another limb, in which both limbs are carrying a current in the same direction. In this case the limbs of the bond itself would act upon each other to increase the impedance.

Many pther variations may be made without departing from my invention.

Such novel features of the signaling system as are .herein shown and described, but not claimed, form the subject-matter of other pending applications; viz., Serial Nos. 192,145, and 192,146, filed February 5th,

I claim 1. A bond for electric roads containing magnetic and non-magnetic materials extending side by side longitudinally of the track; substantially as described.

2. A bond for electric roads containing magnetic and non-magnetic material side by side longitudinally of the track, the magnetic material being laminated; substantially as described.

3. A bond for electric roads arranged to connect adjacent sections and formed of copper and iron, or steel, extending side by side in electrical contact with each other; substantially as described.

4. In an electric railroad, a bond for connectin adjacent sections or blocks, said bond being rmed of copper and iron, or steel, the iron orsteel inclosing the copper and bein laminated; substantially as described.

5; A bond having a non-magnetic core and a covering of magnetic laminated material; substantially as described.

6. In electric roads having a block signal system arranged for alternating currents, a

bond arranged to connect adjacent sections of track and having portions extending adj acent to the rails and arranged to carry a current parallel with that passing through the adjacent rails; substantially as-described.

7. In an electric road having a block signaling system arranged for alternating current, a bond having a limb extending alongside and adjacent to a conductor having a in the same direction as through the said limb or bond; substantially as described. I a

8. In electric roads having an alternating the rail; substantially as described.

9. In electric roads, a bond arran ed to connect adjacent sections of the tracli rails and having a limb in inductive relation to the rail; substantially as described.

10. In an electric road, a bond for connecting adjacent sections or blocks, saidbond having a copper conductor, and iron, or steel, the iron or steel being in inductive relation to the copper; substantially as described.

11. An inductive bond-for connecting adjacent track sections comprising a non-mag .netic material and a laminated magnetic material and inclosing the non-magnetic anaterial.

12.- In an automatic block signal system, a closed track circuit, and an induction bond the conductors of which are composed of copper and magnetic material in inductive relation to each other substantially as dematerial inelectriccon-tact with each other and forming an impedance for the track current; substantially as described.

15. In electric roads having a block-signaling system with an alternating current closed track circuit, an inductive bond arranged to connect adjacent track sections and having portions which extend adjacent to the track rails, and which are so arranged as to increase the impedance in the bond by reason of the presence of the current in the rails substantially as described.

16. In an automatic block signal system, a closed track circuit, and an inductive bond, the conductor'of which is composed of copper, and thin plates of magnetic material surrounding the copper conductor and placed transversely thereto; substantially as described. V

17. In an automatlc block signaling system, a closed track circuit, and inductive bonds, the conductors of which are composed of'copper, and magnetic material arranged to increase the self-induction of the copper; substantially as described.

18. An inductive bond, having a continuous conductor, one of" Whose limbs is arranged in inductiverelation to another limb of the same conductor; substantially as de-' scribed.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

LOUIS H; THULLEN.

Witnesses:

Gno. B. 'BLEMING, C. P. BYRNES. 

